Focused Muscle Contraction Therapy for Veterans with Pain and Fatigue

This study is looking at how a special exercise program, called the GH Method, affects U.S. Veterans who experience chronic pain, acute pain, fatigue, or depression. Researchers want to see if this exercise program can improve your body composition (how much fat and muscle you have), physical abilities, and overall well-being. You would attend 94 visits over 18 months, including four testing visits at UIC where your fitness, strength, and health risk factors are measured, and 90 exercise training sessions at the GH FITLab. The main goal is to see how much your body composition changes after 18 months of exercise. To join, you must be a U.S. Veteran, a patient at the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, and have pain, fatigue, low energy, or difficulty with physical activities. You'll also need a health screening or doctor's clearance.

Study design
This is an interventional study with a planned enrollment of 25 U.S. Veterans. It is not specified if the study is randomized or blinded.
What's involved
You would have 94 total visits over 18 months: four 2-3 hour testing visits at UIC, and 90 one-hour exercise sessions at the GH FITLab. You will also complete questionnaires about your well-being.
Compensation
Not stated in the trial record.
Follow-up
You will be followed for 18 months, with testing visits at baseline, 6 months, 12 months, and 18 months after the exercise program ends.

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NCT05094297

Evaluating the Impact of Focused Muscle Contraction Therapy in U.S. Veterans

Recruiting
NAAges 18+InterventionalTreatment
University of Illinois at Chicago
~25 participants
Updated 2025-09-19 on ClinicalTrials.gov
What's tested:Investigate the effects of an exercise intervention on U.S. Veterans.

At a glance

Recruiting sites
1 of 1 listed site is recruiting right now
RecruitingSuspended, closed, or not yet open
What they're measuring
Rate at which exercise will change body composition
Measured over 18 months
+1 more outcome measured
Chronic Pain
Acute Pain
Fatigue
Depression
1 sites across 1 states
Illinois1
  • Enrico Benedetti, MD · PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR · University of Illinois at Chicago

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Eligibility criteria

Inclusion

U.S. Veterans
Eligible subjects must be patients at the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center and suffer from pain, fatigue, low energy levels or are unable to physically do things they were once able to do.
Subjects need to complete the PAR-Q with an acceptable score and/or must have written physician clearance.
18 years of age and older

Exclusion

Unable to travel to the training center
Unable to give consent
Unable to understand the study
Unable to comply with the training program
  • Rate at which exercise will change body composition18 months

    With this hypothesis we will test whether muscle mass (DEXA scan) changes after 6 months, 12 months, 18 months of an exercise intervention. Baseline measurement will be performed before the intervention, at 6 months, 12 months, and at the end of the study (18 months) with muscle mass measured by DEXA.

  • Rate at which exercise will change body composition18 months

    With this hypothesis we will test whether muscle strength (dynamometer) changes after 6 months, 12 months, 18 months of an exercise intervention. Baseline measurement will be performed before the intervention, at 6 months, 12 months, and at the end of the study (18 months) with strength measured by dynamometer.